Michael Caine picks his five favourite Michael Caine movies
Alongside actors like Terence Stamp and Sean Connery, Michael Caine was one of the biggest faces in British cinema during the 1960s. The decade saw him star in movies like Alfie, The Ipcress File, Zulu and The Italian Job, typically showcasing his Cockney accent and using it to his advantage.
Not only did Caine become a British star, but an international one, too. Since the ‘60s, he has appeared in movies as diverse as Dressed to Kill, Educating Rita, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Dark Knight trilogy and Interstellar. He has multiple awards under his belt, including two Oscars, cementing him as an acting hero.
But what are Caine’s favourite movies of those he has starred in? Talking to The New York Times, he picked out five that he loved starring in most, starting with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Released in 1988 and directed by Frank Oz, the film saw Caine appear as Lawrence, a con man, alongside Steve Martin. The movie was both a critical and commercial success, remaining one of Caine’s best comedic roles.
Discussing the film, Caine said that when he first read the script, he thought it was “a riot”, adding that he “loved it”. The actor also declared his love for working with Martin, calling him “wonderful” and “fabulous”. The film ended up earning $42million and was even turned into a musical in 2004 by David Yazbeck – a testament to its enduring nature.
The Man Who Would Be King is another favourite of Caine’s, directed by John Huston. The movie featured the actor as Peachy, playing a role that was intended for the late Humphrey Bogart. Caine described Huston as “my favourite director,” revealing that he was delighted to be asked to be involved.
“I was going play a part that Bogart was going to play and I was going to be directed by John Huston,” he exclaimed. Not only did he get to work with Huston, director of The Maltese Falcon, but he also got to appear alongside other iconic actors like Christopher Plummer and Connery.
In 1986, Caine won ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at the Oscars for his performance in Woody Allen’s Hannah and Her Sisters, appearing alongside Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey and Carrie Fisher. The actor explained that he really “enjoyed working on it,” adding, “It gave me the chance to live in New York, which I loved”.
The movie saw Caine perform sex scenes with Farrow, who was in a relationship with Allen at the time, with Caine revealing, much to his amusement, that some of his dialogue was “Woody telling [Farrow] things” through him.
Discover Caine’s full list of favourite movies he’s worked on below.
Michael Caine’s favourite movies:
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Frank Oz, 1988)
- The Man Who Would Be King (John Huston, 1975)
- Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen, 1986)
- Alfie (Lewis Gilbert, 1966)
- Sleuth (1972, Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
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